John Lennon’s concept sketch for the Sgt. Pepper’s cover, and the end result
On the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the New York Times bravely reprinted the original review that ran in the newspaper on June 18, 1967. I commend the courage of the decision-makers who were willing to make Gray Lady look so silly. But it was a wise move—if only because readers deserve a reminder of how wrong critics can be.
“Like an over-attended child, ‘Sergeant Pepper’ is spoiled,” critic Richard Goldstein announced. And he had a long list of complaints. The album was just a pastiche, and “reeks of horns and harps, harmonica quartets, assorted animal noises and a 91-piece orchestra.” He mocks the lyrics as “dismal and dull.” Above all the album fails due to an “obsession with production, coupled with a surprising shoddiness in composition.” This flaw doesn’t just destroy the occasional song, but “permeates the entire album.”
Goldstein has many other criticisms—he gripes about dissonance, reverb, echo, electronic meandering, etc. He concludes by branding the entire record as an “undistinguished collection of work,” and even attacks the famous Sgt. Pepper’s cover—lauded today as one of the most creative album designs of all time—as “busy, hip, and cluttered.”
The bottom line, according to the newspaper of record: “There is nothing beautiful on ‘Sergeant Pepper.’ Nothing is real and there is nothing to get hung about.”
How could he get it so wrong?
“Like an over-attended child, ‘Sergeant Pepper’ is spoiled,” critic Richard Goldstein announced. And he had a long list of complaints. The album was just a pastiche, and “reeks of horns and harps, harmonica quartets, assorted animal noises and a 91-piece orchestra.” He mocks the lyrics as “dismal and dull.” Above all the album fails due to an “obsession with production, coupled with a surprising shoddiness in composition.” This flaw doesn’t just destroy the occasional song, but “permeates the entire album.”
Goldstein has many other criticisms—he gripes about dissonance, reverb, echo, electronic meandering, etc. He concludes by branding the entire record as an “undistinguished collection of work,” and even attacks the famous Sgt. Pepper’s cover—lauded today as one of the most creative album designs of all time—as “busy, hip, and cluttered.”
The bottom line, according to the newspaper of record: “There is nothing beautiful on ‘Sergeant Pepper.’ Nothing is real and there is nothing to get hung about.”
How could he get it so wrong?
by Ted Gioia, The Honest Broker | Read more:
Images: John Lennon/The Beatles; Vevo
[ed. See also: How did the Beatles come up with the song 'A Day in the Life'? (Quora); and, Recording A Day in the Life (Beatles Bible).]
